1997–98 Ottawa Senators season
The 1997–98 Ottawa Senators season would see the Senators face the challenge of improving on their very successful 1996–97 season, when they made the playoffs for the first time in team history. The 1997–98 season would be even more successful, as Ottawa finished over .500 for the first time in club history, qualified for the playoffs for the second straight year, and won their first playoff series in modern club history. The Senators defeated the #1 seed New Jersey Devils in six games, before falling to the Washington Capitals in five games in the second round. Regular season Alexei Yashin would lead the club offensively, with 72 points (33 goals-39 assists) in 82 games. Damian Rhodes and Ron Tugnutt would once again do a very good job in the Senators net, helping set a club record for fewest goals allowed with 200. The Alexandre Daigle era came to an end midway through the season, as the Senators traded him to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Vaclav Prospal and Pat Falloon. Final standings Game log Playoffs The Ottawa Senators ended the 1997–98 regular season as the Eastern Conference's eighth seed. Daniel Alfredsson, who missed 27 games in the regular season due to injuries, would lead the team with nine points (seven goals and two assists) in the playoffs and the club won its first round matchup, an upset win over the New Jersey Devils Eastern Conference Quarter-finals: vs. (1) New Jersey Devils On paper, the series was a big mismatch as the Devils had finished 24 points ahead in the standings. One American newspaper covering the playoffs did not even preview the series, expecting a easy win for the Devils. The Devils were characterized as arrogant, although the Devils and the Senators had split their season series. Randy McKay, asked which player on the Senators he respected, said "To be honest, I'd have to see their (roster) list." The series opened in New Jersey. In the first game, the Senators got a 1–0 lead and held onto it until 3:24 was left in the third period, when Doug Gilmour scored to tie the game. After the goal, the Devils got several penalties in a row, including some in overtime. Although the Senators went 0–6 on the power play, they managed to win the game on an overtime winner from Bruce Gardiner at 5:58. In the second game, the Devils won the game on the offence of Gilmour who assisted on the first goal and scored the second, game-winning goal and an empty netter to tie the series. The series now moved to Ottawa for the third and fourth games. In the third game, Damian Rhodes played outstanding and Alexei Yashin scored the winner, 2:47 into overtime on the power play. According to the Devils' goalie Martin Brodeur: "It's Rhodes, that's the bottom line. He has been tremendous. We're getting the puck to him, we're getting rebounds, but he closes the door every time." Coach Lemaire refused to appear for the post-game press conference. The Senators won the fourth game on the strength of three goals by Daniel Alfredsson to win the game 4–3. The Senators had led 4–1 but late goals by Scott Stevens and Gilmour, with 69 seconds left, made it close. The series now returned to New Jersey, with the Devils on the brink of elimination. In the fifth game, Brodeur stopped 22 shots of 23, and assisted on a short-handed goal and the Devils won 3–1. Gilmour scored the game-winner and the Devils staved off elimination. In the sixth and deciding game, Janne Laukkanen scored the winner, giving the Senators the lead and Igor Kravchuk scored an empty net goal to complete the upset. After the game, Scott Stevens commented "The bottom line is that they're an average team that played great. And we're an above average team that played poorly." The headlines from other newspapers labelled the playoff win a 'titanic upset' and 'sensational upset'. Ottawa wins series 4–2. Eastern Conference Semi-finals: vs. (4) Washington Capitals The Senators could not capitalize on their first-round win and the Capitals took the series in five games. Washington wins series 4–1 Player stats Regular season ;Scoring ;Goaltending Playoffs ;Scoring ;Goaltending Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage; Awards and records * Molson Cup - Alexei Yashin Transactions Trades Waivers Source: Free agents Roster Sources: * Draft picks Ottawa's draft picks at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Farm teams * Worcester IceCats (American Hockey League) * Raleigh IceCaps (East Coast Hockey League) See also *1997–98 NHL season References * * *The Internet Hockey Database *National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007 Category:Ottawa Senators Category:Ottawa Senators seasons Ottawa Senators season, 1997–98 Ottawa Senators season, 1997–98